New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-01-30

n half hours and SATURDAYS thirteen Inc othor
six months we work eleven hours, ana hoiiui,y
time TAN 10 and IL. I'm STRONG In On ON
hand and somehow stand things pu' A,o -, -
cousin at the ribbon counter, tho very peS. sN, -.
tho world I do believe. She hiwass hi'''N1 :, 49,
best of things. but this year 1t did seem Us e.
r1,o,e town WIS Mt that counter. Ihey stoou ioui
al Ave- deen. She WIS pcnncd In with the olner
~ n Aoznr mr. two with drawers ana cases DC
Tia and counter in front, and there she stoou
ero,n a IN the morning till 10 OF night WIN nun
a., bo,,r off for dinner and for supper one coui'
hovo GOT through even that but you see thefe mas
IN be steady passing in that narrow space ana
she was knocked and pushed, first by one anu
then by another, till she was sore oil over anu az
last down sho dropped right there, not faintlng put
sort OF gone, and the doctor says she's moSO ueau
ond can't 90 back, he doesn't know when Do"h
there In the basement the girls have 10 pun on
blue glasses, the glare Is so dreadful, but thes
don't like to have us. The only comfort is you're
with lot and don't feel lonesome cant pear
to do anything alone, no matter what IL D. ,
girl with clear dark eyes and lace tna'
might have been almost beautiful but lor HS
hogrora worn.out expression. turned from the
table where she had been writing ana slihcu ''
she looked OF the last speaker.
"Ihat is because you happen to be made tna |,
way" she said. II ON always happier "nen l
can be alone O good deal, but of course t'a.s
never possible, or almost never. I shall want inc
first thousand years OF my heaven quite 10 myself
inst for pure rest and chance to think
"I don't know anything about heaven the last
sneaker said hastily s"but Pm sure nope Vnen
purgatory at least for some of the people We hsu
to submit to. think q woman manager is worsc
than q man. I've never had trouble anywhere
and ALWAYS stay right on, but I've wanted 10
l,noc], some of tho managers down, and 1t oughb
TO have been done. just take the new superin-
tendent We loved the old one, but this one came
in when she died, and one Of the first things she
did was to discharge one OF the old girls BECAUSE
she didn't smile enough. Good reason why ohc
lost her mother the week before and wasn't nkey
| to feel much like smiling And then she went In
do tho counters and pitched out all the old shoes
the girls had there to make it easier to stand. III
most kills Won to stand all day in new Shoes but
Miss r. pitched them all out and said she WASN'T
going 10 have the store turned into an old clothes
shop"
"Wen. it's better than lots Of them, no matter
what she does" said another. u was OF lis
for six months, and there you have TO esK man
for leave every time 1t is necessary % go up
and half the time he would look and laugh WIN
the other clerks I'd rather be where there are
all women. They're hard on you sometimes put
they don't use foul language and lnslno you when
you can't help yourself"
This last complaint has proved for many stores
a perfectly welLfounded one Mushrooms and
other oonvenences have been for common use, and
many sensitive and shrinking girls have brought
on severe illnesses arising solely from dread of run
Ming this gauntlet Here and there the conditions
of this form Of labor are of the best, but as a
whole the saleew oman suffers not only from long
continued standing, but from bad air, ventilation
having no place In the construction OF the ordl-
nary store, Separate dressing rooms are heces
sity vet are only occasionally found the system
demanding that no outlay shall be mace when IL
is possible to avoid IT, Overheating ana over
crowding hastily eaten and improper food, are
ALI causes of the weakness and an@ mic condition
so perceptible among shop and fhotory "orkefS'
these being divided into many classes for
large proporton IT can be said that they are tole>
ABLY educated, so far as our public school system
can be said to EDUCATE, and are haro-"orfNH;
self-sacrificing patient girls who have the Aneri-
can knack Of dressing well on small outlay anu
who have tastes and aspirations far beyond any
means of graf flying them For such grs , inc
wornens guilds and the Friendly societies
these last of English origin-have proved OF
inestimable service, giving them the opporIum-
tics long denied. In such guilds many OF them re-
ceiye the first real training OF eye and hand ana
mind learn what they can best do and often ae-
velop a practical ability for larger and better
work Even in the lowest order filling the
cbeaper stores there is always proportion eager
to learn. But here as in all ordinary methoos Oh
learning the market is overlooked, ana eNeh VIC
best-trane girl may sometimes lan OF enpioy
| ment. Now and then one turns toward household
service hut the mass prefer any cut in wages and
any form of privation TO what they regard as al
most final degradation. multitude OF theT
views ON this point are recorded and VIII III time
| find place.
| In the meantime O minute examination OF the
causes that determine their choice and OF The con
~ hAl
the Justice of the conviction that penetrates INC
student Of social problems. Again the shoPelfl
as class demonstrates the act that not WIN heI
but with the class above her through accident OF
birth or fortune lies the real responsibility for the
| follies over which we make moan. The cheaper
daily papers record in fullest detail the dolngs Of
that fashionable world toward which many u
weak girl or woman looks with unspealtabe
| longing, and the weekly "story papers feed The
| flame with amending details OF the rch marriage
! that lifted the poor girl into the luxury which
stands TO her empty mind as the sole thing to be
desired in earth or heaven. Sho knows lar better
what constitutes the life of the rich than the rlcl
over know Of the life OF the poor. From her post
behind the counter the shopgirl examines every
| detail of costume every osir and grace or lhesc
women whom she despises, even when longing most
to be one of them. She initiates where she can
and her cheap shoe has its French heel her neck
its tin dog-cOllar. Gilt rings and bracelets and
bangles frizzes and bangs and cheap trimmings OF
every order swallow up her earnings. The 1ml
tation is often more effective than the real and
| the girl knows it. She aspres to manicure
SET 10 an opera glass, to anything that viii spu-
late the life daily more passionately desired and
it is small wonder that when sudden temptation
| comes and the door opens into that land where
luxury is at least nearer she falls an easy victim
The class in which she finally takes rank Is sci
! dom recruited from sources that would seem most
fruitful. The sewing-woman, the average factory
worker is devltalized to such extent that ever
ambition dies and the brain barely responds to
even the allurements of the weekly story paper
IL is the class but grade removed, to whom nc
training has come from which strength or sim
plicity or any virtue Of honest living could grow
| than makes the army OF women who have chosen
| degradation
| woman, herself worker but large-brained
| and laIge.hearted beyond the common endowment